Don't leave me alone
by Ariette5
Summary: Their past was hard. But one of them managed to continue his life. The other one... He wasn't so lucky. What happens when they meet again...? AU This is a late present for Keyshipping-Jenny for her birthday.


**Ariette: Hello everyone! Here I am with another fic! This one goes to Keyshipping-Jenny! Who's birthday was on April 30. I hope you enjoy~**

**(Yugioh Zexal does not belong to me! Enjoy~)**

* * *

"Hey, it's me... I was hoping we could talk... It's been a while since we last did... Well, please call me back..." A black and red haired teen said, hanging up his phone. "I really was hoping to talk with you..." He whispered to no one in particular.

He sighed and went to his room. He decided to take a shower and searched for some clothes. He went to the bathroom and opened the water. There he sighed once more and looked at his reflection in the mirror. His red eyes seemed somewhat tired and his face was a little pale. He noticed how mature his face has gotten throughout the years. He didn't have the same childish face as when he was fourteen. Yet his eyes still hold the little innocence that was left after that time.

He sighed once more and undressed. He entered the bathtub full of water. He closed his eyes relaxing a little. That was one of the few precious moments when he could simply relax and forget about everything. Well, almost everything. The thought of talking once again with his old friend filled his mind. He opened his eyes again. He then started remembering his past. Quickly, thoughts about his old friends came in mind. But what he remembered mostly was the awful incident that happened when he was fourteen.

He touched his back as a reflective act. There he found -or rather felt- the scar that told the story of that accident. He knew his friend still felt guilty, after all that's why he left in the first place. But he wished to tell his friend that he already forgave him, that there was no need to continue feeling guilty.

Another sigh.

Two years.

Two long years were he had to overcome that pain. He knew it was just an accident and he understood, but the pain of losing a friend so dear was what hurt him most. He couldn't even imagine how hard must have been to his best friend, he didn't just lose a friend, he lost his brother, his only family. His best friend must be amazingly strong to come back to that cursed town. Well, not exactly cursed, but for him and the others who knew this was just a cursed place. Only him stayed in that town, inside that deep hole where he couldn't get out.

But now his friend was back. Or at least he thought they were still friends. Though he could understand if his friend didn't want to have something to do with him. After all, his friend is now a famous artist, while he still was a miserable boy who was the lowest of the low. He could understand perfectly if his friend didn't want to be tainted and pulled to that dark hole. He understand even if it hurt.

He moved his hand away, trying to ignore the obvious memories that were tormenting him. He finished showering and put his clothes on. He sat in his bed and looked at the table beside. There were three pictures beautifully framed in silver. The first picture held a family photo where his parents, his sister and his grandmother were. The second held a photo of his old friends, or rather the members of the gang he was in. He recognized all the faces, all the names. His eyes saddened when his eyes laid in a black haired boy and an orange haired boy. His best friend's brother and one of his closest friend. Both of them died in that accident two years ago. The accident that marked all of them in one way or another.

He shook his head and looked at the last picture. He smiled a little. It was a photo of him and his best friend, when they were very close. He remembered well that photo. It was taken right after they won a duel against another gang. It was a tag-duel. The first tag-duel he had with his best friend. A very pleasant memory. He looked away and was ready to get some sleep when his phone suddenly rang. He jumped and stood taking up his phone. He pressed the answer button but lost his balance and fell to the floor.

"_Hmm? Yuma!_" A feminine voice said through the phone.

"Awww. It's just you Kotori." The teen said not bothering to stand.

"_Sounds like someone's disappointed. Geez, and I was trying to give you a surprise..._" The female said.

"Sure, sure. What do you want?" He said resting his head in his crossed arms.

"_Well, I bought... Yuma, where the hell are you? I can't talk to you like this._"

The boy sighed. "Does that really matter?"

"_Yes, it does. Now stop hiding and show your face. Wait... Don't tell me you got into another fight!_" Yup. That was Kotori, always worrying about him.

The male stood and looked at the little screen where the green haired appeared. "Nope. Not any fights this week. Like last week. And the week before. And the week before that week..."

"_Ok, ok! I understand!_" The teen smiled. He just loved teasing her. "_Anyways, as I was telling you: I bought tickets to go to the museum this weekend. Wanna come?_"

Yuma frowned. "Which museum?"

"_The Life & Art Museum._" Yuma's face paled. "_Oh, Come on Yuma! If you keep hiding from him, how do you expect to talk with him again?_" Yes. Kotori knew about his best friend issue.

"I was... Hoping to talk through phone...? I called him."

Kotori facepalmed. "_Seriously Yuma?! That's stupid. You know what? I'll go to the museum with someone else. If you want to come then you're more than welcomed. Good night._" After that she hanged up.

Yuma sighed and closed his eyes. Kotori sure was sometimes a pain. But he couldn't be angry at her, after all, she was the only one who helped him after the incident. Suddenly his phone started ringing again.

"_**That must be Kotori again. She probably forgot about something.**_" He pressed the answer button again and said. "Yes? What is it Kotori?"

"_I fear I am not Kotori..._" A male voice said.

Yuma's eyes widened. Of all people he didn't expected for him to be calling. Maybe he wished to talk too?

"_I noticed you called me a while ago... I thought that maybe... I could call you back... Is it fine if I do?_"

Yuma was at a loss of words. He called him! He really did! He then reacted at the question. "Huh? Oh! Oh! Yes! Yes! Of course it's fine!" He quickly exclaimed.

He saw his friend chuckling a little. "_You are still the same boy I remember..._"

Yuma blushed a little. "You are too. Well, minus the famous artist thing of course." He soon regretted saying that when he noticed the artist's eyes saddened. "Oh! I'm sorry! I'm really sorry! I didn't mean..." He fell silent. He didn't want to worsen the things.

"_... I think it is a bit late... I should be leaving now..._"

Perfect. He just ruined his only opportunity of making up with the person he considered his best friend. "Yeah, you're right... I guess you have a busy day tomorrow."

"_Yes, I do... Do you have plans for this weekend?_" The artist asked.

"Huh? No... Well, yeah, I had..." He noticed his friend's eyes sadden a bit more. "But it was to go to the Life & Art Museum! I was planning on going to see your artworks."

The artist widened his eyes. A little smile formed in his lips. "_Then let me invite you to a Café after the exposition. What do you think?_"

"I think it's perfect!" The artist nodded. "So, I'll see you at Saturday?"

"_At Saturday. Oh, and good night Yuma..._" After that the artist hanged up.

Yuma had a bright smile after that. He was so happy to be able to see him again. After two years! He thought about the little changes his friend has made. His blue hair was a bit longer, and was stuck upwards in a strange yet cool way. His mismatched eyes continued to be the same, only a little bit more mature. His face took an interesting turn though. It wasn't the same childish and baby face from before, no. Now it had strong angles that showed he was now a grown up man. And his voice sounded even more calming and smarter than before. If that was just what little he was able to see, he couldn't wait to finally see him in person!

He needed to tell this to Kotori! He quickly marked his friend's phone and waited for her to answer.

"_Yes?_"

"Kotori! There's something I must tell you! He called!" The teen exclaimed happily, like a teenager girl would do.

* * *

When Saturday came, Yuma was so happy that he practically jumped all the way to the museum. Kotori was following close behind him, all the while trying to call him down. That day Yuma decided to wear a red short-sleeved shirt with a black long-sleeved jacket over it (which he maintained open) and black pants with red moons pattern at the bottom. He used a pair of black and red comfortable shoes. He used some silver chains he found as accessories in his pants and, of course, his Key was hanging from his neck.

They reached the museum and found that the place was full of people, which meant they had to make line to enter. At first it wasn't a problem. "Sure, just a couple of minutes" they said to themselves. But when those minutes transformed into never-ending hours Yuma finally blowed.

"Why do we have to keep waiting?! You buyed already the tickets, right?"

Kotori looked at him. She gave an exasperated sigh. "Yes, Yuma. I already buyed the tickets. But the officer said that most of these people did too, and we have to wait our turn."

Yuma frowned furiously and crossed his arms. He wasn't a very patient person. "I don't like this."

Kotori sighed once more and looked away. Yuma eyed his friend and noticed a light blush in her cheeks. "Hey, Ko. Are you feeling ok?"

Kotori smiled at him. "Yes, I am." She then used a paper she had as a fan. "It's hot here, isn't it?"

Yuma frowned again. It wasn't hot, not in the least. In fact, it was a pretty fresh day. He noticed the blush getting even more redder, what made him touch his friend's forehead.

"W-what are you doing Yuma?"

"I knew you weren't ok! You have a high fever!" He exclaimed with worry eyes.

"What do you mean?" Kotori asked, suddenly feeling dizzy. She put her hands in Yuma's shoulders to use them as support. "T-the ground's moving..."

Yuma quickly noticed this and took her bridal-style. He left the line and went to the female's house. There he laid her down in her bed and called her mother to inform what had happened. A minutes later Kotori's mother entered and quickly gave her daughter medicine. Kotori fell quickly asleep after that. Yuma then said he was leaving but before he left Kotori's mother came and gave him the tickets. Yuma looked her surprised.

"Take them. Kotori told me you wanted really badly to go to that exposition. She bought them just for you. So take them."

Yuma at first didn't want to take them but after watching the woman's look he took them and thanked her, finally leaving the house. Yuma thought to return to his own house. He looked the tickets in his hands and remembered why he was so excited to go to the museum. He had an appointment, and he was going to show up. With secure steps he went to the museum again.

When he reached the museum he was completely surprised when he saw there was no line. He confirmed this when the officer told him that everyone had already entered and that he was lucky because they were about to close. He wanted to ask why they decided to close so early, but he wouldn't miss his chance on seeing the exposition so he just ignored his curiosity and entered. And he was really glad he did that.

From the moment he entered until the moment he left he enjoyed the exposition. The artworks were all so beautiful and had so many emotions in them. He personally loved the most one that was about the night sky. It was so beautifully made that it made him feel like he was really watching the night sky. But what made the trip even more enjoyable was the fact that his best friend was the one guiding the group. His friend explained every piece of artwork and he made it sound so interesting that even the children were enjoying it. He specially loved how the artist payed all of his attention to anyone who asked a question, specially the kids.

Yuma quickly noticed how his friend's eyes softened everytime a kid asked a question, what made him think that probably the artist liked children. The museum was also very beautiful. It was like if the museum was an artwork itself, which made the experience even more awesome. Yuma never thought a museum would be so enjoyable. In fact, he always thought museums used to be boring and stupid. But now it was different. After the exposition ended, everyone started leaving the museum. Everyone minus Yuma.

Yuma stayed looking at an artwork that catched his attention the most. He simply stared. Up and down, left to right. He couldn't quite catch what the artwork was about so he stayed staring to see if he could understand. While doing so, he never noticed someome getting near him. That is, of course, until that someone spoke.

"Is see that this artwork catched your attention. Tell me, what do you think about it?"

Yuma almost jump scared. He looked at the owner of that voice, though he didn't need to look to know who it was. "What do I think... Well, it's really hard to explain... I just think that... It seems familiar."

The other male smiled. "Familiar? How come?"

Yuma bit his lip. Although he was really happy to be with his friend once again, nervousness took over him. "Hmm... It's just... It seems familiar. But I can't quite remember why or how."

The artist laughed. "It surprises me you do not remember. Maybe this artwork seems familiar to you because you are the one who made it."

Yuma widened his eyes. "What?"

"You really do not remember? You made this drawing to me. It was not exactly as this one, but it has the same meaning. You called this the 'representation of our hope', if I remember correctly." The artist said, putting a hand under his chin.

Then it hit Yuma. Of course! He remembered now! He looked once again at the artwork. "I must admit, I would never recognized this if you didn't told me. I like what you did to him. Number 39: Kiboū Hope." Yuma then chuckled. "I remember we used to make one for everyone in the gang... Oh! I-I'm sorry! I shouldn't be speaking about this here!" He covered his mouth.

The artist just looked at him and smiled. He then moved his head a little and started walking, Yuma following close behind. They exited the museum and went to a near cafe. A waiter quickly came and asked for their order. Yuma was about to talk when his friend interrupted him.

"We would like two milkshakes, a vanilla cake with caramel and a chocolate cake with cherry."

The waiter wrote down and left to attend another person. Yuma stared at his friend. "You remember..."

The artist stared back. "Of course. I would never forget the few moments were we could enjoy a sweet dessert and act like we were rich."

Yuma blushed and laughed sheepishly. It was true. When they were little they would save up money until they could buy those exact same things and they would talk about one day becoming rich and enjoying sweets all the time. But soon his laugh stopped and his eyes saddened. His friend had managed to follow their dream and become awfully rich, but him... He still had street fights and he barely went to school.

"Is something wrong? Did I offend you? I apologize if I did so. It was not my intention." His friend tried to hold his hand but Yuma quickly pulled away.

"No, no. It's ok. You didn't do anything wrong Astral. Oh! I mean-!" Yuma was about to correct himself. He wasn't talking with the same Astral from before. Maybe he didn't even use that name anymore.

"Yuma. It is fine. Call me Astral. I like it." Astral smiled at the teen.

Yuma stared a bit surprised. Truth is, Astral wasn't his friend's real name. When Yuma and him first met, Yuma had problems pronouncing Astral's real name. So instead he decided to call him Astral, as a nickname. A nickname that stayed to the point that everyone who met him knew him under the name Astral instead of his real name.

A moment of silence passed between the two. Yuma wanted to ask so many questions, but he was afraid of what Astral's reaction would be. Astral was the first to talk though.

"Yuma... This past two years... I have been thinking that I... I never told you how sorry I was... About the accident that happened... I apologize... Because I left when you needed me the most..."

Yuma gulped. Of all the conversations... Astral was still a very direct person. Without even noticing, Yuma touched his back. Even under the clothes the scar could be still felt. Kotori said that he probably had a trauma and that was the reason why he reacted that way. Astral noticed the movement. At first he looked confused, but then realization hit him and he widened his eyes.

"Yuma... You... You still have not got over that, right? Yuma, have you taken psychological attention? Maybe that could help you-"

"NO!"

Astral's eyes widened more, his mouth stayed agape. Yuma had suddenly stood and screamed. His eyes were covered by his hair. Astral couldn't understand why Yuma reacted that way.

"Yuma... What is wrong?" Astral slowly stood and tried to touch the other teen again.

Yuma just backed away. "Please, don't touch me. I... I have to go." He turned away and left the cafe.

Astral stared surprised the exit. He noticed Yuma's tears when the teen left. Yuma needed help, immediately.

* * *

Kotori has been calling the last two days but Yuma didn't bother to answer. Right after he left the cafe he went to his house and cried his heart out. The next day he called Kotori and told her everything that happened. But after that they had a huge fight because she told him that Astral was right, that he needed medical attention. But he wasn't crazy. He hasn't hurt other people. He wasn't dangerous. So he didn't need that medical attention.

He spended those two last days in his house, without exiting. He just wanted to be alone. He wanted to forget. He wanted to stop suffering. But if that meant that he had to go to one of those white clinics where the crazy people go, then no thanks. He preffer to stay at home. During those two days his mind made sure to make him remember everything that happened two years ago. The accident, the deaths of his two partners, the wound in his back. Everything just kept coming and coming to his head, to the point he wasn't even able to sleep.

He was sitting near his bed in the floor. He was hugging his legs tightly and his head was being supported by his knees. He was crying once more. He couldn't stop the feeling of loneliness coming up. He stayed there, without moving.

He heard footsteps but he didn't care.

It wasn't the first time.

He felt as someone kneeled in front of him and put his hands in his shoulders.

He still didn't care. It wasn't the first time.

That someone shook him slightly.

He still didn't care, because it wasn't the first time.

He hears someone talking to him. A voice he recognized very well.

But as before, he didn't care. It wasn't the first time.

It was until those hands took his face and made him look up that he realized he wasn't alone. Right in front of him was Astral. Worry was filling his mismatched eyes. Yuma stared at those eyes for a while, his mind was somewhere else. Astral kept shaking his shoulders, trying to make him react, but it was no use. He finally gave up and thought of bringing a glass of water. He stood but something pulled him down again. He looked back and noticed Yuma holding his arm.

"Don't leave me alone..."

Astral noticed the pain and desperation in those simple words. The one in front of him wasn't the sixteen year old Yuma, no. This one in front was the fourteen year old Yuma, the one that stayed in that accident. The one that saw how their friend and his brother got killed. The Yuma that suffered a lot of pain. The one he abandoned when Yuma most needed him. A Yuma without the attention he needed.

_Yuma had a sad story, a story Astral was aware of. Yuma's parents dissappeared mysteriously, leaving his sister, his grandmother and him alone. His grandmother got really sick with a strange illness. There was no cure, no hope. But a ray of light came. There was one country that had the treatment for that illness. But they were poor. They only had money for two people. So his sister and his grandmother went. But during the trip, the plane where his sister and grandmother were crashed. No survivors were found._

_After that, Yuma was forced to live in the streets. He was forced to steal and lie in order to survive. That's how they met. One day, Yuma was running away from a couple of officers and while doing so he tripped over the leader of their gang. Both fell, Yuma was on top. At first the leader reacted angrily and pushed Yuma away rudely. But after noticing that Yuma was running away from the cops he decided to hide the boy with them. That's when Astral and Yuma first saw eachother. Yuma was quickly accepted by the other members of the gang, due to his agility in stealing. They became a family. The only family Yuma had._

_Astral's story was a bit different. His mother had died when he was very little, so he couldn't remember her. His father died in war, as a veteran. But he still had his older brother, Mist. His brother was the one who started getting in fights and gangs. At first Mist tried the most to keep his brother away from that dark world, but destiny had other plans. Due to strange circumstances, Astral was caught up in a street fight, and that was when his gang life started. Astral always had a cold mind, and with his intellect he was even more powerful than a whole gang. Mist used that in his favor, and togheter they got into a gang with their friends._

_The rest is just history. Yuma and Astral became good friends. They shared a lot of time togheter doing this and that. People said they were almost one, a perfect pair. Astral was sometimes cold and inexpressive, but Yuma always reminded him of the warmness and the feelings. Yuma was light-headed and very impulsive, but Astral was always there to make him concentrate and trace a plan. Day after day, night after night, they always learned something new. Even if it was a very dificult life, those were happy memories for them. Memories with a special meaning. That was until the accident two years ago._

_As every gang has, the gang they were in had an enemy, another gang named Spades that declared war. It was normal to have fights once in a while with them, but two years ago it was more than just a fight. They were unprepared, unsuspecting, still innocent. The Spades gang had made a plan, an evil plan to get rid of them. It all started at midnight, when suddenly all the place started burning. There was fire everywhere, it seemeed there was no way out. The front door was blocked. Still, they managed to escape thanks to another exit they made in case of emergency. The first ones to leave the place were Astral and Yuma. The leader and his closest friend have went to save the leader's sister, she was at the second floor. While Mist and the other friend were making sure that no one was left inside. What no one expected was that right at the moment when Yuma and Astral got out, four members of the Spades gang were waiting from them._

_They pulled a good fight; but tired and weak as they were, Yuma and Astral weren't a challenge to those four men. The others just had gotten outside when they were kidnapped by the other gang. The four men took them to a secret base, but it wasn't for long. Mist and his friend had managed to follow them. There was a huge fight. But after a threat to Mist that they were going to kill Astral, Mist gave up letting himself get tied. A couple of hours passed. The Spades members tortured Mist and his friend almost to death, all the while they kept Astral and Yuma hearing everything. By that moment Astral was getting really stressed, he couldn't just stay there hearing while his brother was being tortured. But he knew he couldn't do nothing, not yet. For Yuma it was different. He couldn't simply allow someone hurt the only people he considered his family. As an impulsive kid he was, Yuma started yelling and swearing all the while, trying his best to get them away from his partners. _

_But it didn't work. Instead one of them got near him and took Yuma. He guided Yuma beside Mist, and there he tied Yuma's arms in his back. Then, in front of Yuma, they kept torturing Mist and his friend. After a couple of minutes, the gang finally killed Mist and then they killed his friend. Yuma was all the time there, witnessing the scene with horror. After that, they took Yuma and hurt him, making the wound that later became the scar. The leader of the Spades gang was a man without compassion, a monster. He was about to kill Yuma too, but the place suddenly burned. With the fire, the members of the Spades gang ran away, leaving Astral and Yuma in the place. But the leader of the Spades gang refused to leave. He said that he wasn't a coward and that he was going to make suffer everyone that opposed him. That included any contrary gang and Yuma._

_Astral was fast to react, and with the little strenght he had left he managed to trick the Spades leader and save Yuma. They escaped successfully, but Yuma was in a matter of life and death. He lost a lot of blood and he could barely walk with the open wound. There was nothing they could do. But their leader came, he saved the two of them and took them to the Hospital. Astral was the first one to regain consciousness, he told everything that happened to their leader. Weeks passed. The gang had made a funeral in honor of Mist and the other member. Yuma was left in recuperation. Astral left the country. Soon after the leader left too. The other member that was left stayed two more months with Yuma, but then he left like the others. Yuma stayed alone in that town, in that cursed country. Without anyone to be with him, without attention._

Astral stared at the teen for a moment. Yuma needed someone to be with him. Slowly, Astral put his hand over Yuma's.

"I will not leave you alone, Yuma. Not again."

Instantly, Astral notice how the shine returned to Yuma's eyes. Yuma slowly smiled and as an impulsive act, he throwed himself in the arms of the artist. At first Astral was surprised, he wasn't expecting that, but then he embraced the teen thightly. They stayed like that for a moment or two. Neither of them wanting to let go.

* * *

**Ariette: Soooo... Do you liked it? :3**

**Yuma: Why do you insist on giving me traumas?! I'm a HEALTHY boy!**

**Ariette: *Ignoring him* Yeah, yeah.**

**Yuma: Don't ignore me!**

**Ariette: Anyways, I hope you like this little present I made for you twinnie~ HAPPY LATE BIRTHDAY! :D It was made with all my heart. This was supposed to be a Friendship/Family story, but it turned out to be a Friendship/Hurt/Comfort story. Such a weird turn u.u And to the other readers! I hope you liked this little something I made~ :3**

**Yuma: Stop ignoring me! X(**


End file.
